GAPP has broken ground on a mixed-use office tower in Nairobi, Kenya. Strategically located within the Upper Hill precinct, the site has views to Mount Kenya in the north east over the CBD and to Mount Kilimanjaro to the south on clear days. The site commands a distinct position over looking the city CBD. It was felt, given the nature of the client’s business (financial services), and the brief requirement for “solidity” and “stability”, a solution involving a tower (as mentioned in the brief) would be the most likely solution to convey the Client’s objectives.
The key architectural differential would be the balance between the overt solutions of the surrounding towers and the creation of an “iconic” and “visionary” building with strength and solidity inherent in the design. This statement of “duality” and the linking of the two as part of British American’s ethos, leads to a diaphanous (semi-transparent) dynamic building, with simple clear lines, strong features and bristling with technological efficiency.
The building consists some 30,000m2 of lettable space comprising of a basement, retail ground floor, parking structure, atrium and office tower with conference facilities. The main office accommodation is prioritized towards the Hospital Rd frontage with the retail focus of the building being on ground level at the intersection of Hospital and Menengai Rds. The rear service road is used for deliveries, service and optional staff parking
The building comprises 3 storeys of basement parking and plant areas, 10 storey parking structure with a screen of "woven" precast concrete to reflect the rich tradition of African crafts. A large glazed atrium lobby, linking the tower and the parking structure, with views in from the street is arranged as an extension of the intersection between Hospital and Menengai Rds. The main tower comprising 33 floors (136m ht, 192m with spire and wind turbine) stands towards the north-west corner of the site connecting directly with the ground, giving the impression of power and solidity. The tower is a symmetrical square plan with a tapering geometry. As a unique feature, visitors to the building can look up from the lobby directly at the vertical façade of the tower externally. The tower is crystalline in nature, using mostly performance glass and an external ceramic or aluminium tubular solar screen.
The tower is topped by large steel spire which can accommodate vertical axial wind turbines (VAWTs) and antennae. The building is designed to international standards, along sustainable principles and has facilities for wind power generation, greywater and rainwater harvesting, natural ventilation and daylighting.
The development is mooted as the star property in Nairobi's Upper Hill District and should be the third highest building in Africa once complete. The completion date is set for Dec 2015.